Whodunit Column by Bruce Tierney

Longtime favorite Ruth Rendell is back with a clever psychological suspense thriller, The Water's Lovely. As was the case with the novels of her esteemed predecessor Agatha Christie, Rendell's latest work is laden with quirky characters: Ismay and Heather, a pair of sisters who share a decades-old secret; a retired police inspector with a fetish for India; a spinsterish con woman in search of...

Whodunit Column by Bruce Tierney

The reigning grande dame of English murder mysteries, Ruth Rendell, is back with a diabolical tale of unrequited love (and a murder or two), 13 Steps Down. Superstar model Nerissa Nash has had her share of would-be suitors, even a stalker or two, but nobody quite as persistent as Michael Mix Cellini. Mix has single-mindedly followed Nash's career forever, and he feels certain that if he can...

Whodunit Column by Bruce Tierney

The November Tip of the Ice Pick award goes to veteran English author Ruth Rendell for her latest thriller, The Rottweiler. When the first murder victim is discovered with a prominent bite mark on her neck, the London tabloids christen the killer "The Rottweiler." It is something of a misnomer actually, as subsequent investigation reveals that the mark had occurred courtesy of the victim's...